Stitches
by EclaireAndPocky
Summary: When Maka is at the end of her rope, she needs someone to tell her how much she matters. Doctors really do have the best medicine. (T rating because it contains references to suicide, nothing graphic)


I don't own Soul Eater or its characters.

Stitches

The last thing Maka remembered was feeling pain and seeing black fill her vision.

After she was found, she was rushed over to who some would argue to be the best doctor in town. There she received treatment for her trauma, before and after the physical pain was gone.

Maka slowly opened her eyes and blinked. Although she didn't know where she was, it didn't take long for her surroundings to register in her mind. She knew of only one place where everything was covered in patchwork. As her eyes traveled down to her arms, she found she was no longer the exception. Her neat lines of red cuts were covered in neat lines of gray stitches. Her memories came back to her of what she had done. She sighed. Was it a good or bad thing that she was there?

The door opened and she looked up to see Stein walk in. "Oh, good. You're awake."

Maka made up her mind and frowned. "No, that's not good. I didn't want this. And now you're going to just going to lecture me on how wrong I was, and tell me that I need to act right, and nothing is wrong with my life. Aren't you?"

Stein walked over to her with a serious expression. "No. I'm not going to do that, because I know how you feel."

She stood up as well. Her face turned from frustration to anger. "Great, even worse! The whole "I understand your pain" thing. Everyone says that. Everyone! But none of them really know how it feels. They HAVEN'T had my level of pain. They DON'T know what it's like. It's like they mock me. It just makes it worse. I just... I can't deal with it... I..." She trailed off as tears started rolling down her face. She put her face in her hands and he shoulders started to heave.

When she felt his arms go around her, she really began to break down. All of the pain she'd kept locked away had finally broken loose, and she hugged him back.

He was surprised at the strength with which she clung to him. Her hands were clenched tightly; they were full of the fabric of his lab coat.

"I'm not going to lie to you, and I'm not going to mock you. But you have to listen to me. Can you do that?" He waited for a response.

Finally, she nodded into his chest.

"You are right. No one here feels your pain, and I can't feel it, either. But, I have been through the same thing as you."

At this, Maka stiffened, but she kept quiet.

"Imagine that your whole life is how you see the world now. You can't feel happiness from anything or anyone, and you want to hurt yourself. That's how I've felt every day of my life."

Maka shuddered at the thought.

"I don't believe that I can feel emotion, but I still have to feel pain, loneliness, and the torture of everyone saying to me, "I know how you feel". I hated everything and everyone in return. I didn't think that it was fair. Why was I stuck like this? Why not someone else? By the time I was recruited to be a teacher, I was at the end of my rope. I didn't expect to get anything out of it. But, I did. Someone was able to change me. Can you guess who that was?"

Maka shook her head slowly.

"How did you graduate at the top of your class if you can't answer this question?" Stein asked sarcastically. "It was you, Maka. Everything you went through you did with courage and a smile. You didn't let people get to you, and if you did, you accepted the consequences for retaliating. You were kind to even your enemies and gave everyone second chances. To be honest, you were the first person I'd ever met who was sincerely kind to me and not terrified of me after the first time we met, thanks to your bravery. I had always scared people away. Imagine that," he said with a bitter laugh.

"You taught me as much as I taught you. You helped me realize that I didn't have to be bitter about my life, and you encouraged me and helped me be brave. So I'd like to help you now."

Maka slowly started to calm down. She breathed in the calming, familiar smell of cigarettes and coffee, and listened to Stein's heart beating in rhythm with his voice. She relaxed in the protectiveness of the man's arms.

Maka was overwhelmed by what she was being told. She wasn't aware that she had made such a big impact on Stein— not to mention the countless others she also knew. She realized that she couldn't leave them and let them down. They needed her as much as she needed them.

After clearing her throat, Maka spoke again. "How?"

Stein pried her off of him and looked at her. "Well, first I'll prove that you aren't alone."

Maka smiled slightly despite the circumstances. "You've already proven that."

Stein gave a small smile back and put her bare hands in his. They almost completely enveloped her hands. "You aren't going to like the next one."

Maka focused on how his calloused hands felt as she waited for him to continue.

"I'm going to make sure that you never do this again." He flipped over her hands so her wrists were face up and nodded to the stitches. "You shouldn't have to bear any more resemblance to me; that would be another form of self harm."

"But... But what if it gets really bad? If I'm not allowed to do that, what would happen if I felt like I couldn't take it anymore?"

Stein met Maka's eyes. "You already know that you have friends! Go to them. Explain what you don't want them to say to you like how you told me, and tell them that you appreciate them just being there for you." He waited a moment. "I won't tell you your pain isn't bad, but just... Just don't die on me, alright? You have helped me immensely by just being you, and I would like to be there for you in return."

Maka gave a short laugh.

"What did I say?"

She looked up at him as she wiped her tears. "Well, it's just, this whole time you're saying how you wouldn't be okay if I left, and I helped you so much, and how you never paid me back, but I never got to say anything."

He searched her eyes for more information. "Alright, what would you like to say?"

"Well, you helped me out a lot, too. Every time I needed you, whether I was in trouble, or someone else was, or even something as small as homework- you were always ready to help. You saved our lives and diverted trouble from us more than once, if I recall," she said as she watched his face grow slightly surprised.

"I don't think I was responsible for the care and devotion you showed your students. And not to mention, you were the strongest meister that ever was! I looked up to you a lot. You're brave and fearless and strong all the time, and you are so wise. If you left me... I don't know what I would do. You've been such an impact on my life. Actually, now that I think about it, I thought I could never repay you for everything," she said. "I guess we're both stuck being alive for each other, huh?"

Stein nodded slowly. "I didn't know that you needed me. I thought I was just a teacher to you," he said in slight awe.

"Well, I didn't knew that I was important to you, either! I thought that I was just a normal student." Maka said in the same tone.

Suddenly, both meisters were able to pick up a wavelength of a certain red-haired man coming closer.

Their green eyes locked. Maka's words became suddenly hurried. "I'll come back, don't worry. And we can help each other now. I won't leave now that I know that someone understands me. You made me feel loved and happy today, which I haven't felt in so long."

She dropped her eyes from his as her face grew slightly pink. "I don't even know what to say, but hopefully I can get through to you," she finally said softly as her eyes flicked back up. She stepped up on her tiptoes, put a hand on his face to balance herself, and kissed him on the cheek. She started to walk away, but before she was out of the room, she said two more words over her shoulder. "Thank you!"

She didn't know that she had thanked him enough with that one gesture.


End file.
